As
a fan of Gang Starr and Guru’s previous work, I was looking
forward to checking out volume three of his Jazzmatazz
series but after the first listen, I was disappointed. You
have to appreciate the undertaking, working with so many guest
artists and producers can’t be an easy task, but this time
around Guru doesn’t succeed. On volume one of Jazzmatazz,
Guru invited the respected talents of musicians Ronny Jordan,
Roy Ayers, and Lonnie Liston Smith creating an original blend
of jazz and hip-hop. This was an original concept because
Guru included the musician’s to work on the track as opposed
to sampling them. With Jazzmatazz volume two, Guru
pushed the whole concept further, choosing to incorporate
and experiment with artists of different genres such as Jamiroquai,
Chaka Khan, and M’Shell N’degeocello at a time when hip-hop
was not a huge part of popular culture. On the latest album,
Guru set out to produce a record with elements of both hip-hop
and R&B and, by the sound of it, he seems to think he
was the first to try this. As stated in the intro, the record
is "defining a whole new style of music" and he "took the
rarest ingredients, mixed them and fused them." This simply
isn’t the case.
Even
with "rare" ingredients like pop heavyweights Erykah Badu
and Macy Gray, this does not sound like the super collective
it should have been. Instead of sounding original, it sounds
pressed straight from the radio friendly cookie cutter. Guru
and DJ Premier as Gang Starr could be considered one of the
late hip-hop pioneers, but nowadays, Guru’s monotone, braggadocio
rhyme style comes off tired and played out, unconsciously
dating himself. It seems as if the only thing holding this
album together is the talent of his guests. The strongest
cuts on the album are only the result of his guests. Material
with The Roots, Craig David and a track with reggae star Junior
Reid get you moving and this has nothing to do with Guru or
his lyrical style. I wonder if he should consider taking more
of a producer role in the recording process because the ideas
are there, he just falls short. "Keep Your Worries" with Angie
Stone sounds like a majority of the R&B on the radio and
is far from the ground breaking material Guru seems to think
it is. It makes you wonder if without the cocky attitude,
the album could of come off as a half decent pop effort but
the "man with master plan" attitude really starts wear thin.
It simply isn’t fun anymore.
Perhaps
the greatest let down was "Night Vision," a track featuring
the man himself, Isaac Hayes. In theory this should have been
an incredible track but the song drags and Guru’s machismo
makes it almost unbearable. His strongest lyrics are the ones
in which he rhymes about social issues or any real issues
besides "the loot" and rubbing women the right way. If Guru
stuck to more social tracks like "Who’s There" with Les Nubians
or the collaboration with Junior Reid, this album could have
been far more memorable. It’s not that the album has to have
a socially conscious theme throughout, but that seems to be
when Guru begins to shine. As for the macho side, maybe he
should work on his self-esteem issues outside of the studio.
-Justin
Hardison
Track
Listing:
- Intro
- Keep
Your Worries (featuring Angie Stone)
- Hustlin’
Daze (featuring Donell Jones)
- All
I Said (featuring Macy Gray)
- Certified
(featuring Bilal)
- Plenty
(featuring Erykah Badu)
- Lift
Your Fist (featuring The Roots)
- Guidance
(featuring Amel Larrieux)
- Interlude
(Brooklyn Skit)
- Super
Love (featuring Kelis)
- No
More (featuring Craig David)
- Where’s
My Ladies (featuring Big Shug)
- Night
Vision (featuring Isaac Hayes)
- Who’s
There? (featuring Les Nubians)
- Mashin’
Up Da World (featuring Junior Reid and Prodigal Son)
- Timeless
(featuring Herbie Hancock)
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